Invisible Wizard
by The Char
Summary: Hetalia set in the world of Harry Potter. Centered around Canada, but POV switch between characters and nearly the whole cast is or will be covered.
1. Chapter 1

{{Quick A.N. before I start. I prefer using human names when writing, so for the characters that don't have official names I went with most commonly used fannames/etc.  
Ukraine: Yekaterina Braginskaya, Netherlands: Maarten de Vries, Belgium: Anika de Vries.}}

-

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a place of mystery, opportunity and -_

-CROAK- 

Matthew turned his gaze from the window, facing his brother. _Flying chocolate frogs, naturally. _The confectionery amphibian in question was still pawing at the side of his face, desperately clinging onto his glasses. The younger sibling sighed, plucking the frog away from his sight.

"Hey, hey, Matty, are you even listening to me, stop dreaming. Where was I?" Alfred looked at him impatiently. "I was talking about - "

"That guy," Matthew filled in for him, feigning interest as his brother went over the same story for what must have been the umpteenth time.

"Like I was saying." Alfred continued, between munching on chocolate frogs, stuffing them in wholly, making his speech a little muffled. "Fhi tshfink shaft hve hjassh.. "

Matthew nodded, idly pretending to agree to whatever his brother was saying, even if he didn't understand half of it. _Our first year at Hogwarts. _He couldn't help but to feel every little bit as nervous as he was excited. Prior to the inventation the two of them had received, he hadn't given the existence of magic a lot of thought. He hadn't been set very for or against it, he just never really thought about it.

The idea of actually using magic, real magic, well it was hard to even start comprehending it. As a matter of fact, he had been quite convinced it was a very elaborate joke set up by his brother, right up till the point where they visited Diagon Alley.

And there he was now, on a train, holding a chocolate frog that could actually struggle between his fingers while it melted from his warmth. _Never thought I'd feel pity for candy before... _He thought as he let go of the frog, watching a little painedly as Alfred picked it up almost immediately.

"You no longer want this?"

"No, it's fin-.." Matthew answered, sighing softly as Alfred stuffed down the chocolate.

"Mmhmph-ah~ You should really try some more of these," Alfred grinned.

"Speaking of which, guess what I've decided?"

"What?"

"Quidditch!"

"Quidditch?" Matthew felt the faint urge to point out that chocolate frogs and Quidditch were hardly related topics, but he was fairly certain he'd just be confusing his brother.

"Yes! I'll be - " Alfred eyes flicked out of the cabin from the train, hawking in on what seemed to be a student carrying a broomcase with them. "That, that!" He said, pointing energetically, causing a small downpour of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans to rain all over the ground in the cabin.

"A broomcase?" Matthew asked, largely ignored by his elder brother as he continued frantically pointing.

"Yes, that!" Alfred replied, confirming Matthew's belief that his remark had gone by ignored. "In fact, I'll go ask right now!"

"Ask what?"

"I know! That's a good plan!" He jumped from his seat, shifting out from his mountain of candy and wrappers, sending several chocolate frogs scurrying under the seats.

Matthew sighed, watching his enthusiastic brother run after the student, listening faintly to the chatter. It took a while before he could hear Alfred's loud voice faint completely. It was amiable in its own way, how excited he was, but he was a little tiring too.

Nevertheless, it left Matthew alone in a suddenly very, very quiet cabin. Save the croaking of chocolate frogs, of course.

Matthew spend his time alone mostly looking at the assortment of candy that littered the floor and pondering whether he ought to clean it up or not. On one hand, it was a big mess, and it bothered him slightly. On the other, he didn't feel like cleaning up his _brother's_ mess. He did quite enough of that already.  
As such, it was still a bit of a mess, particular around the window seats, where he and his brother had been seated, when the door slid open again. Fully prepared to mention the mess to his brother, he turned to face somebody who was not his brother.

Sure, the person in question was blonde, but that was where the likeness ended. That, or his brother had suddenly become a lot more top heavy. _A lot more top heavy,_ he noted, blushing faintly when the girl entered the cabin, walking very slowly he noticed, arms crossed a little over her chest, sitting down right next to him with a deep sigh.

The girl sat down timidly, looking around the cabin a little nervously, eyes glancing a few times out of the cabin before she settled down completely. She trembled a little still, and Matthew would've sworn that the little heaves were accompanied by a soft sound. _But that would be silly... _

He was quickly pulled away from his thoughts however when he saw slight tears well up in her eyes, quickly laying one hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

The girl yelped, flustered, looking around a little panicky, apologizing profusely. As she waved her arms around, trying to explain, Matthew was now quite certain another sound... accompanied her... waving. Politeness however compelled him not to ask.

"I'm terribly sorry. I.. I didn't think anybody was here." She said, somewhat embarrassed. "I mean.. I didn't see you sitting there at all... I.. I thought the cabin was..."

"Empty?" Matthew finished her sentence.

The girl nodded quietly.

Matthew blinked a few times, then smiled softly. "It's alright, I get that a lot," he let out a soft chuckle to try and lighten the atmosphere.

Silence fell in the cabin once again, as the girl hurriedly wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. Matthew awkwardly pulled back his hand from her shoulder again, a little uncertain, but then extending it to her again.

"I'm Matthew." He said, smiling softly. "Matthew Williams."

"Yekaterina," She smiled back, shaking his hand, using her other hand to still wipe at her eyes. "Yekaterina Braginskaya.. but you can say Kat too, it's shorter.."

Matthew nodded quickly. "Alright Yekaterina, Kat..." He looked around the cabin quickly, trying to find a topic to talk about, and further, trying desperately not to look at her assets. Swiftly, he reached towards the chair opposite of him, picking up a chocolate frog from the heap that his brother had left behind. "Chocolate frog?"

"Oh... are you sure? I wouldn't want to.."

"It's alright they're not mine." He quickly corrected himself. "I... I mean they're my brother's, but I doubt he'll be returning because he simply ran off somewhere and most likely forgot all about here and he always buys too many anyway and I don't really eat them myself and I wouldn't want them to go to waste because I mean- "

He was cut off by a soft giggle from the girl. "Thank you, I'd like to take one."

"Ah," Matthew nodded quickly, handing over the frog to her, a little flustered. Was he supposed to keep eye contact? Look away? What were the right procedures in this kind of situation? And why did he swear he could hear that noise again as she was eating?

"Matthew?"

"Yes?" He answered, a little quickly.

"There's some chocolate on your glasses." Yekaterina gestured a little.

Matthew quickly picked up the glasses from his nose, watching the smudge where the chocolate frog had landed and apparently quite desperately had tried to stick to. He licked his finger, quickly rubbing over the glass to try and remove the chocolate, looking down a little, embarrassed. He put his glasses back on and listened to the silence return again.

"Matth-"

"Kat- "

They spoke simultaneously and Matthew quickly turned to face the girl again.  
"You go first," he smiled softly, grabbing a bag of the flavoured beans to keep his hands occupied with something.

"Well..." The girl smiled awkwardly. "You.. you must've noticed by now, I mean.. the.. the.." Tears welled up in her eyes again.

"W-wow, erm, it's alright!" Matthew quickly reached forwards a little again, hand once more awkwardly placed on her shoulder. "If you don-"

She smiled softly, shrugging his hand of her shoulder. "It's okay... you must be wondering what happened... some of the guys basically noticed... them..." Matthew didn't need any further explanation as to what she was referring too. "And well... decided it would be funny if... they added some... you know..."

_Sound effects,_ the girl didn't have to finish her sentence for him to understand what she was she was talking about. He nodded understandingly, not sure how to reply to that. It explained the sound he had been hearing though.

"I.. I'm sure it'll wear off again." He smiled softly. "Is that why you were looking for an empty cabin?"

"Yes... " She said quietly.

"O-oh... well, I don't mind.. I mean, I hardly noticed at all. And I don't mind the company, it's been a little quiet since my brother left." He smiled. "And you make a much better conversational partner than him."

"We've hardly talked..."

"That makes you think doesn't it?" He laughed softly, relieved to see a small smile on her face too.

"He sounds like an interesting person."

"That he is. A bit hard to get along with sometimes though."

"Really? I have a brother too, but he's not that good at making friends.. he's a little... overbearing... and my younger sister is a little protective of him too..."

"You don't say?" Matthew laughed a little. "Sounds like perhaps he and Alfred could be friends."

"They should meet each other then." She smiled.

"Who knows, they might already have, knowing my brother, he probably already coursed through the whole train."

"He sounds energetic."

"I suppose that would be a good word to describe him." He chuckled, opening his mouth to speak again, but interrupted as the door slid open once again.

Yet another blonde stepped into the cabin, a big one, and in a rather different way than the previous. The man was tall to say the least and he had to lean in a little forwards to not bump his head as he entered the cabin.

His hair was slicked upwards in a somewhat gravity defying matter, and briefly it crossed Matthew's mind to wonder whether that was natural, like his brothers flick, or whether the guy used copious amounts of gel. Or perhaps cement.

He sat down opposite of him, not particularly minding the pile of candy that was there, giving a quick nod at Yekaterina. He smiled broadly, nodding at nothing in particular, letting his broad frame fall back in the seat. It took him a little while to take note of Matthew, at which he smiled a little wider.

Matthew watched silently, shifting a little under his gaze, leaning a little closer to her. "Do you think he's?..."

"Maarten." The guy said, chuckling softly.

The two others stayed silent for a moment.

"Yekaterina," the girl was the first to respond.

"Matthew," he quickly added his name in reply as well.

Silence spread through the cabin again and Matthew looked between the newcomer and Yekaterina awkwardly.  
The guy in front of him smiled dazedly between the two of them, not saying a lot more, giggling a little from time to time. They silence was thankfully broken as yet another blonde stormed into the cabin, grabbing the guy by his ear roughly.

"Maarten! Waar denk j- " The girl turned to the two of them, smiling briefly, holding the protesting guy roughly. "I'm very sorry for this, I hope my brother didn't cause any problems."

Matthew and Yekaterina both nodded a little awkwardly, mumbling something about him not causing any problems.

"He keeps doing this, and on the first day too." She sighed, a little aggravated. "Those guys and their stupid spells."

"Spells?"

"_Cannabaceae gaudium_, or something along those lines, it doesn't matter." She looked at them a little sharply, as she dragged her brother up with her. "Clouds their mind, and they even use it on themselves... for fun, can you believe it?"

Matthew assured her, that no, no he couldn't.

"I'm very sorry for any inconvenience he caused you, normally he isn't that bad a guy... if he's all there. Stop protesting." She pulled on him sharply, dragging him behind her.

Matthew blinked at the door where the girl left through.

Yekaterina chuckled softly. "It seems like everybody is having brother problems today."

"Seems like it," he agreed, smiling gently. "Want another chocolate frog?"

"Gladly."

{{And I think this'll be my last de-anoning for now, it should cover most what I wrote for the kink meme. This one is actually a multi-chapter fic (and still unfinished), but because I'm getting tired I'll be uploading the different chapters over the course of a couple of days.

Some translation notes:  
"Maarten, waar denk j-" Translates from dutch to. "Maarten, what do y-" (think you're doing)  
The spell Cannabaceae gaudium, is based from the latin words for cannabis and delight/joy.

.?thread=30014990#t30014990 (original fill, also if you want to read the rest of the chapters before I upload.)}}


	2. Chapter 2

{{Okay, as before, I'm putting fannames for characters in the chapter here, to prevent confusion as they appear in the story.  
Liech: Sofia Zwingli, Germania: Aldric Reinhard (and Egypt is Gupta, since I know people forget he has an official name). All other characters all going by their official names of course. Hope you'll all enjoy the second chapter! }}

Chapter 2

The remainder of the train journey went by quickly. Matthew enjoyed conversing with Yeketarina, despite their initial awkwardness. His brother was absent for most of the trip, having run off somewhere in the train. Matthew didn't mind that much, it meant they had quite the royal mountain of candy to enjoy and besides that he was sure that his brother might make a bit of an... odd impression on the girl. After all, she seemed quite timid and kind and his brother.. well, his brother might come off a little hyper there.

In fact, he didn't see his brother again till about five minutes before they were bound to arrive, hurrying into the cabin. At that point he had waved and nodded briefly, then climbed on top of the benches on his side. Hurriedly he had dug through his bags to snatch out his robes, throw them on and run out of the cabin again.

"Was that your brother?" Yekaterina asked, though the answer was quite obvious. She smiled a little, as if Alfred's actions had been a little amusing.

"Yes," Matthew replied. "I wondered when he'd come back for his robes." The announcement for all students to change had been given more than an hour prior.

The train slowly skidded to a halt, chuffing a few clouds of smoke as it arrived at the station. Matthew got up from his seat, holding out one hand to help Yekaterina up.

"Lets go," he smiled, helping her up. She moved timidly still and a little stiffly, but Matthew wasn't very surprised, considering her condition.

The first thing they were greeted by the cold autumn air, the wind quite chilling despite the heavy cloaks they all wore. The second thing that flung itself in their view was Alfred, who nigh-on tackled Matthew, skidding to a halt by holding onto his shoulder.

"Matty! We're going by boat!"

"We are?"

"Yes! All first years go by boat. The older years told me." Alfred proudly stated.

"Then what are the older years doing?"

"They go by carriage or something I think, Matty can you save me a spot on the boat, I got to do something."

"What?" Matthew asked, but his brother had already run off again. He turned to Yekaterina. "So.. I suppose we have to split up here then.."

"Ah?" She blinked a few times, the laughed softly, shaking her head quickly, which also meant her laugh was accompanied by a few more sounds, causing a few turned heads. "No, no, I'm a first year too."

"You are?" Matthew was a little surprised, he hadn't brought it up in the train, but he was quite sure the girl was older, not to mention her noticeable... assets, for somebody in the first year.

"Yes," she smiled still. "Did you think I was older?"

"Actually..." He nodded quickly, a little embarrassed. "Well, we might as well find a boat then." He added, quickly changing the topic. He looked around, he didn't see any lake to speak off.

"F'rst y'rs." A voice commanded, Matthew spun around, looking at straight into the eyes of a rather tall intimidating looking man. "E'vry'ne h're?" The man asked. In the darkness, one couldn't quite make out his eyes, hidden behind reflection of his glasses. The general reaction was one of muted agreement, even when Matthew tried to protest.

"Sir! My brother he.." But his protests fell a little to the background and the man had already turned to move. He threw a quick worried glance over his shoulder, a little concerned, of course he knew his brother would usually be fine, but he also had a tendency to find trouble.  
A little hesitantly he followed after the ground keeper.

"'M B'rwald Ox'nstier'a. The gr'nd k'per." The man introduced himself to the silently following group. Matthew tried to count how many people surrounded him, but the dark prevented him from seeing around him very well. The darkness was thick around him, leading him to think that they probably passed through some woods. Even the more chatty clusters of the group had fallen silent as soon as the ground keeper had arrived and Matthew was glad to think he was clearly not the only one intimidated.

As such, it was silent but for their footsteps, and the muted sounds coming from Yekaterina as she walked. He felt for the girl, who embarrassedly held her arms crossed over her chest.

"H'gwarts." Berwald spoke. "It's th're."

It was there indeed. The huge castle rose from across the lake, its many rooms and towers lit against the dark sky. It had something enchanting, Matthew found, like something straight out a fairy tail. Of course, this wasn't that far-fetched, considering it was a school for magic.

"F'r a boat." The man commanded, holding up four fingers. "No m're."

His words snapped Matthew out of the spell and he quickly stepped forwards, giving a quick nod to Yekaterina as they stepped forwards to pick a boat. They entered one of the boats, waiting, Matthew in particular casting glances back, wondering what was taking his brother so long.

"Ah Gupta, there's still enough room in this boat." A soft voice spoke, a petite girl approaching the boat. "Could we join please?" She turned politely to Yekaterina.

"Of course," she smiled softly. "I'm Yekaterina and this is Matthew."

"Matthew?" The blonde girl blinked a few times, staring blankly at him, or rather, passed him till she noticed his presence.

"O-oh! I'm really sorry, I didn't notice you. But there's still enough room for two extra, right?"  
Matthew paused for a moment. He still didn't see his brother anywhere and he felt a little guilty not to save him a spot. On the other hand, there was also a rather valid chance that his brother had hopped off to who knew where, or had gotten lost, or had already picked another boat and forgotten all about him, or knee deep in trouble he was quite sure he'd get the blame for later, or... he remembered he still had to reply. "It's fine, we can still fit two." He smiled.

"Thank you Matthew," the girl smiled brightly, clapping her hands together, motioning for Gupta to follow her. She sat down in the boat quietly, straightening her robes out over her lap. "I'm Sofia Zwingli, it's a pleasure to meet you both."

The boy that was with her followed silently, nodding quietly at them as he stepped into the boat. "Gupta." He said blankly, looking between the two of them. He didn't speak any further, keeping still on his spot.

Further conversation had to wait, as with a little shake the boats parted from the lake's edge towards the castle.

Sofia attempted to start up conversation again. "So have you all thought ab-" Her attempts however, were cut short by a loud yell.

"YEEE-HAW!"

It was a sound he recognized all too well, he turned his gaze, not particularly eager to see what was happening.

What was happening of course, was his brother. Surfing on top of a suit case. Not alone, mind, though Matthew could not make out who the other student was in the dark.

"Isn't that your?"

"Yes... yes, it is." Matthew tried to look away.

Alfred was speeding across the water surface with his companion, in what was going to inevitably lead into them crashing into the water or the edge on the other side. Or, as he observed, both suitcases stopping dead in their tracks, tossing the two boys unceremoniously into the ice cold waters.

A short moment later both of them were levitated out, dripping still, before a rather annoyed looking Berwald.

"Y'r n'me?"

Neither of them replied, both of them still seemed a little giggly after the trip.  
"Y'r n'me." Berwald stated with a little more urgently, making both of them fall silent instantaneously.

"Im Yong Soo..."

Alfred muttered something, followed by a small chuckle, Matthew couldn't quite make out what it was, even despite the whole lake having fallen silent to listen in. He was however, promptly dropped into the lake again.

"N' ly'ng."

"Alfred F Jones..." He muttered, being lifted up again.

"'N d'nt ev'n 'ave a house to de'uct po'nts y't." The ground keeper shook his head, dropping Alfred in his boat, which wobbled dangerously for a moment. Yong Soo soon joined him in the boat, snickering a little still, despite the situation.

The boats slowly resumed on their way, silent conversations starting to form on each boat, most discussion of what just happened.

They arrived in the little in castle harbour, each boat emptying its student load inside. Despite the earlier silence, the excitement was now nearly tangible, as the students started to huddle together, chattering as they walked the last stretch towards the castle.

"Matty! Did you see me there?" Alfred smiled broadly, still dripping wet.

"I think everybody did." Matthew noted, not very keen to sticking to that topic.

"So have you heard what we are doing next?"

"I suppose we'll probably head into - "

"I heard we're getting this test."

"Oh?" Matthew just confirmed, knowing he probably wouldn't get a word in between once his brother started talking.

"Yes, and if you're heroic and such, you'll end up in the good houses, otherwise you'll be put with all stupid houses."

"So - "

"I think I should be in Gryffindor, I was talking to this other kid on the train and I heard that all the strong, awesome, heroic people are in there. Also- " He hushed his voice a little. "To totally watch out for Slytherin, those guys are like, completely unheroic and lame, ."

"I'm not sure if it works that way..." Matthew started, knowing his words went largely ignored.  
"My brother is in Gryffindor," Sofia piped in, smiling softly. "But I think all houses are good, they just split them up so they fit people best."

They reached a set of large doors, accompanied by an equally tall man, wearing a stern somewhat annoyed gaze. Matthew made a brief note to himself that there were certainly a lot of tall blonde men at Hogwarts. This one set himself apart by the fact that it was quite noticeably long, reaching down to his shoulders.

"What took so long?"

"S'm st'dents f'll in the w'ter." Berwald gestured towards Alfred and Yong Soo.

The elder man frowned and shook his head. "We're running late." He turned to the students, staring down at them.

"My name is Aldric Reinhard." The man spoke briskly at the students. "We're running short on time, so I'll make it short. All first year students, you'll be sorted into one of the four houses, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. During the year you'll be competing for points, the house with most points gets the house cup at the end of the year."

He nodded briefly at Berwald. "Make your way into the Great Hall when you're called upon for the sorting ceremony." With that, he turned and disappeared through the doors.

"Don't think he ever smiles, do you Matty? Ey!"

Matthew had poked him roughly in his side, so he could turn to Yekaterina, who giggled softly.  
"Wait? Did your boobs just make a noise?" Alfred continued.

"I think you still got water in your ears Alfred." Matthew replied, defending the quickly flustered Yekaterina.

"Oh well, but did you hear that? I told you we'd be sorted now, what house do you hope to be in?"

"I don't think I can really judge yet, I haven't really hea-"

"I'm pretty sure I'll land in Gryffindor, in fact-"

The door swung open again. "All first year students, please make your way into the Great Hall."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

{{Sorting time, this once again means, lots of names for characters that don't have official ones. As previously, I'll list them here at the start. (Plus some of the last ones to refresh your memories)  
Ukraine: Yekaterina Braginskaya, Seychelles: Victoire Adelaide, Liechtenstein: Sofia Zwingli, Taiwan: Chen Meilan, Hong Kong: Wang Mao, Iceland: Sigurður Olvirsson, Belgium: Anika de Vries, Holland: Maarten de Vries, Germania: Aldric Reinhard, Rome: Julius Vargas. (And Egypt: Gupta Muhammad Hassan, since people forget his official name) Stick around for the omake at the end of the chap! }} **  
**

The Great Hall was a spectacular sight to behold. The Great Hall however, clearly thought that they were an even more spectacular sight to behold. The instant the group of first years entered the room, hundreds of gazes turned sharply to them. It was all these expectant stares that were the first thing that Matthew noticed, not the great banners hanging from the walls, or the thousands of floating candles, not even the ceiling, that reflected the cloudy night sky.

No, it were the hundreds of stares. Now, Matthew wasn't particularly used to being noticed and to have the whole hall turned to him, well the group of first years, it was still something different to say the least. He turned to his fellow first years, catching Yekaterina's gaze, who smiled a little nervously, probably to reassure him. His brother had skipped to the front of the group, glancing around, excitedly talking to whoever was standing next to him, one of the few students talking in the group of awe-struck first years.

Sofia had turned to one of the four long tables that were set in the hall, all flanked by students on each side. She waved a little wave at one of the tables, smiling calmly. Matthew leaned in a little closer, peeking at the table.

"Gryffindor," Sofia answered quietly. "My brother is in the table at the back."

Matthew cast another quick look over the table, taking a little while to find the person she was talking about. Once he did however, it was quite unmistakable who it was. His hair was cut in much the same way as the younger girl, perhaps a tad messier. The similarities however stopped there, especially when he spotted his expression. A somewhat unimpressed glare at the first years, especially him, or rather, the few that walked around his sister, he quickly gathered. He turned his gaze to the front again, as most of the first years had done.

Being a little further back, he couldn't make everything out perfectly, what he did gather was that there was a tattered hat. On a stool. It looked a little out of place in the grandness of the Great Hall. Then it started singing. And sing it did.

In its song it was quick to assure them that he was more than just any ordinary hat, which really seemed a little of a moot point to Canada, considering the hats he had encountered didn't talk, let alone sing. The Sorting Hat, for that appeared to be its name, made its purpose clear. He would sort them into the Houses, whether it be Gryffindor, for those brave and daring, Hufflepuff, for those loyal and hardworking, Ravenclaw, for those shrew and of wit or Slytherin for the cunning and ambitious.

The student body broke into excited clapping when it finished its song, but was quickly silenced by professor Reinhard. He unrolled a scroll of paper, standing imposingly in front of the students. "Your names will be called one by one. Sit down and put on the hat to be sorted."

The man gave them a last glance, then turned to the paper, calling out the first name.

"Adelaide, Victoire." A girl with dark brown hair, tied back in two long tails with big red ribbons ran to the front, putting on the hat excitedly. She didn't sit still for a moment between the moment she put the large hat on, shuffling beneath it, to the moment it called out her House.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The left most table broke into a loud applause as the girl skipped over to them, heartily welcomed by the students.

"Braginskaya, Yekaterina."

Yekaterina looked up, quickly stepping forwards, taking a quick look back at the other first years, casting a sympathetic smile at Matthew and another student he had not quite noticed before. The other student was everything but unnoticeable however, towering a little above Matthew, adding another to the count of tall blonde men he met that day. Perhaps her brother?

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The students on the right side of the hall cheered loudly, welcoming a slightly flustered and overwhelmed Yekaterina to their table.

"Braginski, Ivan."

Matthew's suspicions were confirmed when the blonde next to him stepped forwards and took place under the hat, smiling. The hat took long, quite, quite long to decide, casting the Great Hall in silence for nearly five minutes. Ivan's smile however, did not falter once.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The left side of the hall burst into cheers again, as Ivan made his way over calmly. The next students passed. A short Asian girl, with long black hair, Chen Meilan, went to Gryffindor. The boy he had met on the boats earlier, Gupta Muhammad Hassan, was sorted into Ravenclaw. Im Yong Soo, who had pulled off the stunt with Alfred earlier, was put into Slytherin, under muttered protests from Alfred, though the boy himself did not seem to mind, skipping energetically towards the table.  
"Jones, Alfred F." Matthew turned to find his brother, perhaps to wish him good luck, but he had already made a dash towards the stool, sitting on the edge, as if all ready to take off again. As before, the hat took a little while to decide and Alfred too seemed increasingly agitated.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat yelled, finally it seemed, and Alfred jumped up from the stool, smiling widely at the applauding table, nearly throwing the hat back onto its stool as he ran off to join them.

"Olvirsson, Sigurður," a white haired boy stepped forwards and was consequently sorted into Slytherin, but Matthew didn't pay that much attention. Instead he had turned to watch Alfred as he joined his new table and was quickly let to wonder what House he would end up in. And he had enough time to wonder, as he quickly he had realized that names were called out in alphabetical order, which put Williams quite far down the list.

He watched another boy join the Gryffindor table, a little air headed looking. Feliciano Vargas was his name? Matthew was only half certain, as he had stopped paying too much attention to the hat for the moment as he got lost in thought. Did he want to go to Gryffindor? He wasn't quite certain, despite the talk he had heard from his brother. Another boy joined the table, Wang Mao, silently taking place amongst the rest.

Matthew looked around him, the student number had dwindled a lot since they had started, and for a moment he had to remind himself that, _no, the Sorting Hat won't forget me_. He was simply far down the list. There was nothing to be worried about, after all, everybody had gone just fine till now and -

"Williams, Matthew." Professor Reinhard called.

Matthew blinked and was brought back to earth by a small push in his back, coming from Sofia. Who, he suddenly noticed, was the only one left besides him. He stumbled a little forward, returning a small smile at her and hurried towards the stool.

The hat fell a little large over his ears, the brim sinking in front of his eyes. Something he did not particularly mind, as a large majority of the Hall's eyes were fixated on him. He could hear his brother cheering for him somewhere in the background.

"Again?" A voice said, somewhat disgruntled.

Matthew stared at the dark brim, realizing the voice came from inside the hat. A little confused, to say the least.

"There's no point in arguing further, you've already gotten into Gryffindor, there's no need for a prank or a mix-"

"Sir Hat?" Matthew spoke, eliciting a chuckle from the Hall, quickly realizing the hat could read his thoughts, continuing to speak further in his mind, already realizing the problem. "You've got me mistaken for my brother, this sadly has happened before, _often,_ I'm Matthew, Matthew Williams." His thoughts were followed by some less than polite memories and thoughts regarding those situations, flustering a little as he realized the hat could see all of that. It was hard to keep one's thoughts under control in your own mind. He quickly started to formulate an apology for that in his mind, nervously plucking at the cloth of his robe, but the hat was quick to speak once more.

"Matthew, hmmm... despite being in your brother's shadow you are quite hardworking, maybe more independent because of that, patient too, loyal, friendly, so the place where you would strongest shine... "

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The loud cheering overwhelmed him somewhat when he took off the hat, looking at the table situated to the right, a little dazed as he sat down next to Yekaterina, enthusiastically greeted by the rest of the students at the table. He received some cheering and back patting and a wave of handshaking and high fives, in what was perhaps the most attention he had ever gotten in his life, save sometimes when he had gotten the blame for Alfred's tricks, but that hardly counted.

Opposite of him, he noticed the girl he met on the train before, as the table slowly quieted down a little. The girl caught his gaze, smiling cheekily. "Welcome to Hufflepuff Matthew." She held out her hand across the table, shaking his firmly. "I'm Anika, and you've already met my brother over there." She pointed a thumb sideways, at the spikey haired male, who was deeply engaged in busy conversation with somewhat serious looking blonde.

"Maarten," Matthew stated.

"Yep," Anika replied cheerfully. "And the big guy next to him is Ludwig, the guy further down the table is-"

"RAVENCLAW!"

They were interrupted by a loud noise that almost immediately erupted on the other side of the room. Everybody turned to the source of the noise, which had appeared to be the Gryffindor table, but Matthew could not really see what was happening. This was mainly due to Ludwig and Maarten, both quite big and broad, completely blocking his view.

The Great Hall quieted down for a moment, then slowly started murmuring and talking once more. Matthew protested to know what had happened, but Anika merely shrugged. "Nothing too important," she pointed down the hall, at the table which Matthew presumed was filled with the staff of Hogwarts. Professor Reinhard too had taken a seat. "Julius Vargas is going to make his speech." She quickly added. "The Headmaster."

A tanned man, sporting somewhat messy hair and what looked like a rough stubble, had risen from his chair, looking quite the opposite of what Matthew believed Headmasters looked like.

"Welcome all to Hogwarts! Lets look forwards to yet another wonderful year together! Now, before we begin the feast, let me say these few words. Siesta! Signorina! Canzona! Vitto! Thank you."

Matthew blinked. "Is he really?.."

"Yep," Anika replied. "Want some potato?"

**Chapter 3.1 Omake/Extra**

"Do you have everything?"

"The luggage will be delivered to my room, brother."

"Well, you better double check to make certain and be careful."

"Of what, brother?" Sofia stared at her brother calmly, used to his behaviour. She had spend most of the journey together with him in the cabin (other people were not likely to enter, as one quick look from her brother, usually combined by one hand always on his wand, was quite enough to scare anybody away). During the journey she had listened to his warnings, in-depth explanations and general advice about 'surviving' at Hogwarts.

Judging by his current gaze, she nearly got the impression he would simply drag her along into the carriages the older students took, just to make sure she'd arrive safely.

"Well, you'll have to be careful of snakes, and bears, and make sure not to trip, you'll be going through a forest, and you know what you should do when you're attacked by wildlife, right?"

"Of course, brother." She replied politely, shaking his hand calmly to loosen his, patting it softly. Vash had in fact dedicated several hours to this matter with her.

"And watch out for Slytherins, you never know what they'll do." He added, frowning a little.  
"Brother, none of us has been sorted yet, even if they did, I wouldn't know who is one."

He frowned deeper, making a slightly agitated hand movement. "Just watch out for them, okay?"  
Sofia smiled softly, patting his hand again. "I'll be late brother."

Vash looked around him for a moment, as if he was truly considering dragging her along, then sighed, frowning still. "Fine, but be very careful, I'll meet you at Gryffindor table."

She let go of his hand and nodded lightly. "Thank you brother, I'll see you at the castle." She nodded once more, then quickly turned, waving a few times as she briskly hurried towards the group of first years. She was quite certain her brother watched her run till she was completely swallowed by the trees. 

Quickly she had met up with Gupta, a somewhat quiet boy, with whom she had walked the last stretches towards the boats, later meeting Matthew and Yekaterina, both a little shy, she noted, or otherwise a little easily flustered.

She had silently observed her class, idly wondering where everybody would land, based on what she had heard her brother say before. The trip had gone quickly, and with hardly any delay she had found herself in the Great Hall.

Her eyes scanned over the tables, searching out her brother quickly, smiling softly as he found him, lifting one hand in a small wave. In return, she noticed the slightest nervous twitch around the corner of his mouth, what accounted for a forced smile from her brother in this situation. She noticed his eyes flickering between the fellow students around her and sighed slightly, shaking her head just a little.

Next to her, she noticed Matthew too had turned to face her brother, presumably following her gaze.

"Gryffindor," Sofia said quietly. "My brother is in the table at the back." She turned her own gaze forwards again, to where the Sorting Hat was laid.

Because of her last name, Zwingli, being the last on the list, Sofia saw the entirety of the first year pass. She started to make a habit out of guessing which house each person would end up in. In the end, she turned out quite adapt at it, guessing all but three students correctly. After she had given a small last push to Matthew, the realization it was her turn afterwards quickly dawned on her.  
She was not as much nervous, as curious, as she sat under the Sorting Hat, which sank enough over her ears to cover her face down to her nose.

"Sofia," the voice inside the hat said slowly, as if tasting the name. "You are quite the shrewd girl, clever, most certainly do have your wits about you. Ravenclaw perhaps."

"Are you certain?" Sofia thought back at the hat.

"Do you disagree?"

"Oh no, it is just that my brother will be disappointed." She continued. "Or concerned." She subconsciously added. "I personally believe Ravenclaw is quite a fine House, sir Hat."

"Then Ravenclaw it is!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

Sofia barely had time to take off her hat when the left side of the room seemed to explode with action. Noticeably not from the Ravenclaw table, most of which members appeared to be halfway through raising their hands to clap for their new member.

She didn't have to look to know what had made the noise, the outcry that followed only reaffirming her suspicions. She let out a light sigh, walking towards the Gryffindor table, from which Vash had already parted himself to meet Sofia.

"I'm sure they can still re-sort you Sofia, there must have been some sort of error and-" Her brother spoke a little loudly, especially considering the majority of the Great Hall turned to watch them. Pausing as he noticed the silence he turned, eyes shooting daggers in the general direction of the Hall. "Could I have a solitary moment?" He didn't ask, as much as command, gazing hesitantly turning away again, muted muttering slowly starting up again. "Sofia, if you hurry then st-"

"Brother, it's alright." Sofia smiled gently. "You don't have to worry, Ravenclaw is a nice House."

Vash opened his mouth to protest, clearly disagreeing with the fact he wouldn't be able to keep an eye on her, protective. Stubbornly he turned his head to the side, frowning. "Are you sure?"

"I'm quite sure, brother." She nodded, noticing that they had talked between each other right through Julius Vargas' speech, to the annoyed gaze of Professor Reinhard.

"Take care then Sofia," he laid one hand on her shoulder, frowning seriously still, corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

Sofia smiled.

"I will."


	4. Chapter 4

{{Again, names: Anika = Belgium, Sunan = Thailand, Yekaterina = Ukraine in addition to official names.}}

**Chapter 4**

Arthur's sleep was if anything quite good the first night of that semester. The rooms, like usual, got a bit bigger each year. Even with morning breaking, not that it really mattered down in the Slytherin dungeons, the bed felt warmer than usual. Perhaps it was the fuzzy warmth of his anticipation, he had been looking forwards to Care of Magical Creatures that year, having heard there would be unicorns involved. Beautiful unicorns, yes, they had filled his dreams too. Their long, soft waving manes, warm breath, hairy legs...

Arthur's eyes snapped open, quickly pulling one hand away from the blonde's hair in front of him, jerking back in his bed, clutching the covers.

"Frog, you have ten seconds to explain why you are in my bed before you'll really be croaking." He already reached for his wand on his nightstand, jutting it against Francis' forehead.

The other merely grinned a little lazily, evidently already awake, musing softly. "Who's Charlie?~"

"An un- None of your business! Eight, seven, si-"

"My bed was occupied." He replied, an amused tilt in his tone.

Arthur frowned, growling a little. "Already? Dammit Francis, we're hardly back one day."

"Besides, your bed looked so lonely, thought I'd-"

Francis didn't get to finish his sentence, as he got quite unceremoniously kicked out of the bed by Arthur.

"Bugger off, frog. It's too early for this." Arthur growled, rolling over in his bed.

The other sighed, leaning his arms on the bed, laying his head on top of it. "Don't you want to give the new kids some initiation?"

Arthur still didn't look back, growling a little. "What new kids? The Gryffindorks got most of the brats."

The other smirked a bit slyly with that, voice growing a little excited. "My point."

"Can't this wait?" Arthur groaned, though he had grown a little intrigued about the other's plan.

"You'll have to get out of bed sooner or later, Artie."

"Fine." Arthur, sighed, sitting up a bit grumpily, mutteringly adding. "Frog."

"Good boy." Francis replied, leaning in to peck his forehead, promptly getting smacked by Arthur, giggling softly as he backs off again. "See you at breakfast."

Arthur glared at Francis as the other left the room, clutching his sheets, heart beating a bit too fast.

"Can't you two lovebirds keep it down for once?" A groggy, but amused voice snickered from the other side of the room.

"Bugger off, Gilbo." Arthur growled, accompanying his words with a pillow in the direction of the albino.

Matthew opened his eyes to the sharp sound of an alarm clock. He rubbed his eyes, one of the other boys in his room were already getting dressed. The evening prior, he was offered to stay in a room with the second years, an offer he didn't refuse seeing he was the only first year guy in Hufflepuff. He yawned, casting a quick glance at his own clock.

_4 AM? _

He blinked a bit at the owner of the alarm clock. "Ludwig? Isn't it a little early?"

A grumble from the bed next to him agreed before giving Ludwig the time to reply. "Yeah... bastard." The boy was covered under the blanket, only a curl sticking out, bobbing up and down grumpily.

"I apologize for waking you up, Matthew, I'm going for a morning run." Ludwig replied.

Matthew nodded sleepily, blinking a bit at the hazy silhouette, turning his face back to his pillow then. "Good luck."

Luckily it didn't take all to long for him to fall asleep again, awaking by another alarm, a more gentle sound this time, a kind of melody. He sat up, picking up his glasses and casting another glance at his clock. _7 AM. _That sounded more reasonable. Taking a short moment to say goodbye to the comfort of his bed, he finally swung his legs over the edge, stretching a little.

"Good morning, Matthew," he got greeted by a smile.

"Morning Toris." He nodded at the brown haired boy.

"Hope you managed to sleep a bit after Ludwig went out. He always takes his morning runs quite early."

"The bastard." Sounded from the bed next to him again, still not showing any sign of the boy underneath the blankets.

"It was alright," Matthew shook his head. "The bed is quite comfy." It was something that could be said for all of the Hufflepuff dorms. The surroundings were all together quite cozy, decorated with warm yellow against black. It did remind one of a badger hole, with perfectly circular doors leading up to the rooms and little underground tunnels.

"So what time exactly does breakfast start?" He asked, getting dressed.

"Seven thirty, lessons start at nine." A bespectacled dark haired boy replied. Sunan, Matthew thought he was called.

Somewhere it was good to know that the school was not only comprised off tall blondes, as his first impressions had been.

Once dressed, he had turned to Sunan and Toris, ready for breakfast.

"Shouldn't we wake Romano up?" Matthew asked, casting a glance at the boy that was still hidden under the blankets. The other two smiled a bit sheepishly.

"No." The heap of blankets grumbled, heaving once before laying silently on the bed again.

Toris patted Matthew's shoulder. "It's alright, he'll get up, otherwise Antonio will make sure of that."

The blankets muttered something angrily, but too inaudible to make out

The three Hufflepuff boys had joined Anika and Yekaterina on the way out. The fact the Hufflepuff common room was located next to the kitchens meant they were treated to the delicious breakfast scent throughout their whole trip towards the Great Hall.

"It's a pity they don't let us cut through the kitchens." Anika had remarked, even though she was quickly corrected that the kitchens were located underneath the Great Hall not next to them by Sunan.

She had shrugged it off. "The castle has so many secret passages, I'd be more surprised if they didn't have some simple stairs leading up from the kitchen."

The Great Hall by day was a far less intimidating affair. The early morning sun hadn't quite broken through yet and bathed the ceiling in a reddish cloudy glow. Going for breakfast early also meant that there weren't as many people. Only small groups of students had started to cluster at the tables, some excited first years, some that looked like they were hardly awake at all.

They were greeted by Ludwig, who had nearly finished his breakfast already, he didn't stick around very long, getting up to take a shower after his workout.

The food itself wasn't that remarkable, except for the fact it would simply appear on the plates. Sometime that shouldn't have surprised Matthew at this point, but nevertheless made him smile slightly. He felt a little warm when owls flocked in to hand him and the other first year students their schedule, looking with a bit of eager anticipation at the subjects. Smiling a little more when after a bit of comparison he was in most of his classes together with Yekaterina.

Some of them looked logical, though he wasn't sure what to expect from all of them.

_Transfiguration? Sounds a bit odd. Will we really need Defense against the Dark Arts? Sounds a bit eerie. And no... normal subjects at all, well I guess this is normal for wizards, but will I not need what I've learned before at all? Seems like a bit of a waste, but I guess it should still be fun. I hope the rest won't be too much ahead, is there even something like elementary wizard sch-_

__"Matty! Matty!"

Matthew choked a little on his drink when his over excited brother half tackled him from behind. He was still coughing and sputtering a little as Alfred continued talking.

"I'm sorry you got in the lame house, but have you seen the timetable? No Maths! There's some boring history, but see that?" Alfred waved his timetable close to his eyes, poking at one spot, fluttering the paper more, meaning Matthew did anything but seeing what he was pointing at, but Matthew was quite sure he'd tell him anyway.

"No, you're-"

"Flying! We're flying!" Alfred interrupted him.

Matthew blinked at his schedule, nodding. "Yeah, we a-"

"You're in my class!" Alfred grinned, swooping in to pick up Matthew's paper, taking a better look. "Most classes actually!"

_In other words, he'll want to copy homework again._

"So have you talked a bit with the others in your House?" Alfred continued.

"Yeah," Matthew nodded a little at the rest of the table, smiling. "That's To-"

"Great! You know, I was thinking it's such a shame you're not with my House, you know, there's so many first years in Gryffindor. They're cool, except this one kid, he's weird. You should've probably taken his place, Matty." He grinned. "But I'll see you in Charms, alright?"

Matthew tugged on his sleeve before he left. "My timetable?"

"Oh, oh yeah." Alfred tossed the paper back at him. "There you go. See ya!"

Matthew sighed, putting the timetable away in the pocket. "I'm sorry for my brother, he doesn't realize he insulted the House all several times." _At least I hope he doesn't. _

"Brother's can be difficult." Yekaterina said, trying to reassure him again.

"You're telling me?" Anika chuckled, smiling at Matthew. "At least yours didn't get high on the way here."

"I hope mine is faring well... I know he has trouble making friends." Yekaterina added, looking a bit worried.

"He's in Gryffindor too right?" Toris said. "Enough first years, I'm sure he'll find someone to get along with."

"Yeah," Matthew nodded, looking at Toris and Sunan. "Do you two have brothers?"

"Two younger brothers." Toris nodded. "One is in my year, but the other isn't in school yet."

"A younger and an older step brother in my case." Sunan smiled, taking a slow sip of his tea. "The younger one should be in your year."

Matthew smiled, nodding. Somewhere he felt a little warm, he could get used to Hufflepuff, most of his new friends had something calming, something friendly. If anything, Matthew thought he was starting to feel at home.

"Matthew?"

Matthew blinked at Yekaterina.

"You were out of it for a moment, are you alright?"

Matthew smiled, "Y-yeah, I'm great even." He looked around the table. "Everybody finished breakfast?"

"Yep," Anika nodded. "You two better get ready for your first lesson. Charms your brother mentioned right? Third floor." She chuckled. "Try not to get lost."

"Normally I'd help you two find the way." Toris smiled apologetically. "But we've got herbology first thing, so we'll be heading outside."

Matthew looked at his timetable for a moment. "2E... " He smiled. "I'm sure we'll manage, thank you." _How hard could it be to find a classroom after all?_

After some searching, Matthew was about ready to swallow those words. They had left in time, following Anika's advice. Around thirty minutes prior. _Thirty minutes, you'd think thirty minutes would be enough to find one classroom. You'd think going to the third floor and finding a room is well, pretty straight forward. That's what you'd think. _His progress ended up greatly impeded by stairs that kept changing direction and floor at their own fancy, almost as if they purposefully tried to bring them anywhere but the classroom.

When they somehow had ended up on the seventh floor, they had resorted to asking one of the wandering ghosts. Their reactions were mixed, some snickered, some ignored them, some only gave directions that got them more lost.

So when Matthew finally faced the door reading 2E, a full ten minutes after the bell rang, he had to blink a few times to make sure it was there. He smiled tiredly at Yekaterina, then reached out to door knob, taking a short breath.

Instants after, he felt a small shock course through his hand, jerking it back instantly.

"O-ouch!"

The door slowly opened, accompanied by a somewhat melodious female voice.

"You're late, Mr. Williams, Ms. Braginskaya."

{{And nearly through all the existing chaps now. Not a single review yet :(. I guess people are waiting for something new.}}


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The woman Matthew found himself facing was quite a sight to behold. She was pretty, without a doubt, but there was an intimidating aura surrounding her. Her black hair cut short, but laced with golden decorations. Matthew froze a little on the spot when her eyes pierced him, as if still in the after shock of the doorknob.  
"Your seats, please."  
Matthew nodded quickly, feeling a slight pull on his arm by Yekaterina to scurry towards their seats. Giving a last glance to the teacher, he could've sworn he could the scaly head of a snake hidden within the shadows of her sleeve.  
In the back of the classroom, Alfred was already excitedly waving at him. He sighed, sitting down next to his brother.  
"I saved you a seat." Alfred smiled widely. "You're so late.'  
"Thanks." Matthew said, a little distracted, watching Yekaterina walk elsewhere in the class room, finding her seat next to the girl they had met the day before. _ Sofia ._ Matthew thought she was called.

"That concludes all the notices for today." The woman spoke. "Ms. Braginskaya and Mr. Williams, please ask your fellow students later." She tapped the blackboard behind her with her wand. Chalky letters soon twisted and turned into existence.  
_ Badriya Philopator _  
"You can address me as Mrs. Philopator. I'll be your charms teacher at Hogwarts." She nodded at the class. "Now, everybody, please open your books to the index"

Matthew did as told, looking at the index. He soon noticed his brother hovering closely. "Yes Alfred?"  
"My book is wet."  
"Your book is wet."  
"Well, more drowned."  
"You drowned your book."  
Alfred nodded.  
"Ah." Matthew slowly realized what he was referring to, sighing, shaking his head. _ Could've asked them to dry the book off once they fished the luggage out of the water, did they even fish the luggage out of the water? They must have a spell for that. _"Fine." He moved his book closer to his brother. "But you need to get it fixed once the lesson finishes."

With his brother watching over his shoulder silently, for now, Matthew could finally take a proper look at the index. It seemed like a lot of spells to learn. He smiled, even if all the words looked foreign and the meaning of the spells deluded him he could feel himself getting excited. Actual magic. He would learn actual magic.

"By the end of the year you will be expected to know the spells on this list. A practical exam will be held to test your skills to test your abilities." Her eyes scanned the classroom. "Anybody have questions?"  
Nobody did.  
Matthew however, couldn't keep his eyes of her sleeve now. By now he was convinced there was a snake within. Was it watching the class as well? Maybe it wasn't in her sleeve anymore at all... Could it be crawling through the class room at the very moment? What if there were more? His eyes flickered to the floor, watching the ground intently then.  
When Alfred kicked him under the table then, he had to jump a little, hissing a bit. "What is it?"

Alfred grinned widely. "We have Quidditch tryouts in the second week!"  
Matthew opened his mouth. "That's grea-IYAH!" His reply was cut off by a rather undignified yelp as he observed the green reptile on his desk. He felt himself fluster when the gazes in the classroom turned to him, and the snake.  
"Mr. Williams and Mr. Jones seem to have found Wadjet." Philopator mused.  
'Mr. Jones' was staring intently at the snake, apparently more at ease seeing it appeared to be more focused on Matthew. Mouthing the word 'cool' slowly._  
I knew there was a snake. There really was a snake. _  
"Wadjet and my other pets will keep an eye out on students who find their own conversations more intriguing than Charms."

_There is more than one then. _ Matthew paled a little, muttering a half hearted apology.  
"Watch out," she smiled, that snake he was certain he saw before crawling out of her sleeve up her arm now. "They bite." _  
That's a cobra isn't it? That is a cobra. There's a cobra and a... other snake, and god knows what's more in the class room. How can we start learning spells with poisonous and dangerous reptiles in the classroom? _  
The snake edged a little forwards, as if teasing him. Matthew quickly snatched back his hand when the beast got dangerously close to his fingers. With that, the snake slithered down his desk again, disappearing between the desks. He shivered, heart beating a little quickly.  
"So, if Williams and Jones have finished their conversation, we'll proceed with the lesson."

Disappointingly, the lesson didn't have any practical exercises yet. It reminded him of chemistry lessons, a lot of theory before the action._ Well, that did depend on the teacher, and practicals would usually end with Alfred blowing up some thing near to me anyway. … thinking about it, this will likely not be that different. _ The class was merely a lot of theory about magic, running over what they were supposed to learn that year and with the snakes keeping a close eye on the class there were little other distractions.

Occasionally, one of the girls, or in one the cases, Alfred, would yelp when something slithered past their legs.

It wasn't that Matthew minded terribly, after all, theory regarding magic was interesting to say the least. However, that didn't mean when a paper bounced off his head, he was a little curious. His eyes glanced around the room, especially checking the floors. No snakes on his desk, it seemed safe enough.  
Slowly he unfurled the paper, laying it on his book to camouflage it a little. Silently he started reading.

"_Alfred!" _

Naturally, it was addressed to his brother. He sighed, kicking Alfred under the table, then casting a telling glance at the paper.  
For a moment Alfred nearly spoke up in turn, but a swift second kick silenced him. _  
"Come meet us after class! Take that brother of yours too!_

_Yong Soo. " _  
Matthew frowned a little, he was pretty certain the name belonged to the guy Alfred had been hanging out with the day before. But why did he want to meet them afterwards? Why did he want to meet _ him _afterwards.  
The paper had little else on it, nothing to indicate what it was about. Unless the idly scribbled games of naughts and crosses were supposed to be some kind of cryptic message.

He gave his brother a questioning look. Alfred smiled, though it was obvious he too, was confused.  
Matthew gave a quick glance backwards, looking were Yong Soo was seated, next to a silver haired Slytherin he couldn't recall the name off. Yong Soo merely returned an excited grin, leaving him absolutely none the wiser about what was going on.

When he saw one snake curling down a closet on the back wall, Matthew had no choice but to quickly snap his eyes back forwards again, sighing heavily.

It was a good thing the lesson didn't last much longer, for Matthew's curiosity had only grown since. To his surprise, they weren't the only ones starting to gather around Yong Soo and his silver haired friend. Yekaterina, and most of the others he'd had seen at the sorting the day prior had found his way around him.

_Had they all received a note? _At the very least he had to commend the two for not getting noticed during the class.

"So what's this about?" Alfred grinned, though there was some clear hesitation in his voice, his eyes visibly flicking a little over Yong Soo's uniform.

Yong Soo smiled, looking around the group he collected, nodding at his friend, then spoke. "It's very simple."

Matthew couldn't help but notice a very slight nervousness in his voice.

{{This still remains my least favourite chapter out of the set, so short too, but oh well. Last of the existing chapters. Sorry this one took so long to upload. Coming week I'll have to work full time on school stuffs but after that I'll start updating again.

As to the question regarding pairings. I do actually have a whole database for planned pairings, plotpoints, characters, their houses, classes and so on. While most pairings are planned already, some might take a while to get to it or experiment with other characters for a bit. So I'd rather not reveal all of them for the sake of spoilers. 3}}


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